[sixcol_five_last]
By Patrick Lujan
After five months of eating sandwiches, Guam rugby player Kayla-Belle Taguacta is glad to be home with a wealth of experience in her bags.
Taguacta lived out a dream with a summer’s worth of living and breathing the sport she loves.
“I loved being out there because it was so constant and I honestly never get tired of playing so I loved it,” the 4-foot-11-and-a-half-inch baller said.
Speaking of 4-feet-11 ½-inches, she was by far one of the shorter players while on the U.S. Women’s National Team 15s and for the Club Scion for 7s based in the Washington, D.C area.
“Size definitely does not matter! For me, being small, I had to work harder than others just to prove that being small doesn’t matter, it’s all about the amount of love you have for the sport and what you put into it.”
Because of her size, Taguacta constantly had to prove herself, which only made her mentally tougher and proved to be her biggest lesson learned.
“The biggest lesson I learned was, ‘don’t ever let someone who doubts you just because your small, affect you and how you play’. I had a lot of people look at me and just doubt me because of how small I was but when I stepped on the field, they were shocked and realized that it doesn’t matter how big or small you are. You know the saying, ‘Never Judge a book by its cover’.”
Even though she was living a dream, she couldn’t wait to come back to reality. “The BIGGEST thing I hated out there was probably being away from the support system (Familia), and the FOOD! All I ate was sandwiches, nothing compared to the awesome food we have here!”
Back home now after tasting the sport at a whole different level, Taguacta would love to change the culture of the sport on Guam after living rugby 24/7. And of course, like any top player in any sport, making it profressionally is the ultimate goal.
“I know me being a rugby player and how much I invested in myself in playing, that I for sure want to go off-island and be playing. I know I want to become a professional which will be hard, but I’m willing to take the chances even if that means leaving home just to pursue it because I know home will always be where it is.”
[fbshare url=”http://www.gspnlive.com/?p=14276″ type=”button”][fblike url=”http://www.gspnlive.com/?p=14276″ style=”standard” showfaces=”false” width=”450″ verb=”like” font=”arial”]
[/sixcol_five_last][ubm_premium_banner_rotation banners=35, 38, 44 interval=9 width=120 height=600 orderby=rand]
GPS Sports Calendar
March 2024
- SU
- MO
- TU
- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
Events for February
1st
ISA SOFTBALL
IIAAG MS GIRLS SOCCER FINALS
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL QUARTERFINALS
HS RUGBY PLAYOFFS
Events for March
2nd
HS RUGBY
ISA GIRLS SOFTBALL
ISA BOYS BASKETBALL FINALS
Events for March
2nd
Events for March
4th
ISA HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS
ISA SOFTBALL ALL-ISLAND COACHES MEETING
Events for March
5th
HS RUGBY PLAYOFFS
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS
Events for March
8th
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL FINALS
ISA HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS PLAYOFFS
Events for March
9th
ISA SOFTBALL FINALS
HS RUGBY FINALS
Events for March
9th
Events for March
14th
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
Events for March
16th
Events for March
17th
Events for March
18th
Events for March
19th
Events for March
20th
Events for March
22nd
Events for March
24th
Events for March
25th
Events for March
27th
Events for March
28th
Events for March
29th
- 31
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Events for March
30th
Soccer
ISLANDERS OUTSHOOT DOLPHINS
Uncategorized
4TH QUARTER SPORTS SET FOR TAKE OFF
Soccer
ISLANDERS OUTSHOOT DOLPHINS
Uncategorized
4TH QUARTER SPORTS SET FOR TAKE OFF
COMING SOON …
4th Quarter Sports
- Guam Marathon